This is the moment Aarif was found in Ainsdale

This is the moment Ulrike Halliwell was reunited with her missing dog Aarif in Ainsdale

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

A mum of-two whose dog went missing on Ainsdale beach has thanked the community for helping her find him.

Over 2,300 people joined the Find Aarif page on Facebook, which was set up after the Halliwells’ pet lurcher went missing on August 16.

This morning (Wednesday) mum Ulrike received a call to say her dog had been spotted in the Sandringham Road area.

She told Visiter.co.uk : “I left work and raced to Ainsdale. I saw Aarif in a garden, and then he went into a bush. I just lay on the floor, and said his name. He came to me, and I grabbed his collar. We have our dog back now.”

We can also reveal how Milo, Aarif's foster brother, helped to find the missing dog. Milo helped coax Aarif into the open, even though the two rescue dogs have not seen each other in a couple of years.

A message on the Find Aarif Facebook page read: “Aarif has been found. The search team have managed to get him!

‘‘More details to follow later. This is the news we have all been working towards.

‘‘Thank you thank you EVERYONE who has helped no matter how when or where. He is safe now. x x x x x x”

Ulrike spotted the news that Aarif was missing while she was on a mountain bike holiday with her husband and two children in France. She flew home early, and has since spent several nights parked near Ainsdale beach.

She had told the Visiter.co.uk that her mother-in-law took the dog to Ainsdale beach for a walk when he went missing.

Ulrike, who lives in Skelmersdale, wanted to thank everyone who supported her.

She said: “‘Strangers have provided tea, coffee, juice and crisps.

‘‘Someone even flew a drone over the beach to try and spot my dog. It’s not very pleasant being parked up on a remote beach at night but many strangers have made it easier for me.

‘‘One lady told me to knock on her door if I needed a drink or to use the toilet.

Ulrike told how the stressful the ordeal had been for her family.

She said: ““One man said Aarif was just within touching distance of him, and then ran off. Obviously by the time I got out to the beach, he was long gone.”